After previously denying this matter, Tik Tok acknowledges the ability of its Chinese employees to access the information of American users

TikTok, the video-sharing app owned by Chinese company ByteDance, said that some employees outside the United States can access information about American users, according to a Bloomberg report.

The company's recognition came in a letter to 9 members of the US Senate who accused "Tik Tok" of monitoring American citizens, and demanded answers to several questions, including whether employees residing in China can access the data of American users, and the extent of the role these employees play in Form the “Tik Tok” algorithm, and if any of this information is shared with the Chinese government.

“Currently, employees residing in China who scan a number of internal security protocols can access certain information about TikTok users in the United States, including videos and public comments, but none of this information is shared with the Chinese government, and is subject to strong cybersecurity controls and protocols.”

The social network said it is working with the US government to enhance data security about that information, particularly anything that has been defined as "protected" by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).

US information storage

Within a new project called "Project Texas", American information is stored in data centers on American servers owned by the software giant Oracle.

TikTok is switching its platform to Oracle's cloud infrastructure, meaning that the application and algorithm will be accessed and deployed to US users from local data centers.

"Reply TikTok confirms that our concerns about the influence of the Chinese Communist Party in the company were well justified," Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn told Bloomberg.

"The company run by China should have been candid from the start, but it tried to keep its work secret. Americans need to know if they had their information with China if they were on Tik Tok."

Several senators, all Republicans, in a letter dated June 27, cited a BuzzFeed News report that the company's engineers in China had gained access to user data in the United States.

The lawmakers said in the letter that TikTok and its parent company "are using their access to a trove of American consumer data to monitor Americans."